A Few bits on Scottish Environmental Conservation

[MacBean]

he used to carry a club with him when walking at dusk, on his way back from his 1930s town job to his family farm up in the Appalachian foothills. He said that almost every time he turned around quickly there would be a lynk in sight, staring at him. As to whether or not the story grew in the telling, I cannot say.

In Brazil, people still drag a stout staff behind them in the woods. They say that Jaguars get confused by the third leg and don't attack. Jaguars are known to stalk (follow) prey and only attack unseen from behind. I have this from a (retired) professional Jaguar hunter. So perhaps it is in the nature of predatory cats to follow other animals?

[MacBean]

Three hundred fifty thousand deer?????? In Scotland?

As a comparison, Pennsylvania is 50% larger than Scotland and probably has about 2,000,000 deer or about four times the deer population density of Scotland. However, the State Government has never released its estimates, so the two million number may be a sheer guess. If we culled 75% of the deer in this state, there might still be too many. Bushes, once common in PA, are now rare and have been replaced by vines; (they were eaten by deer).

I have them eating seed out of my hanging feeder with the little round holes!

[Lallans]

In Brazil, people still drag a stout staff behind them in the woods. They say that Jaguars get confused by the third leg and don't attack. Jaguars are known to stalk (follow) prey and only attack unseen from behind. I have this from a (retired) professional Jaguar hunter. So perhaps it is in the nature of predatory cats to follow other animals?

Since animals don't typically have species-wide tendencies to waste energy, I've been wondering why lynxes would so often do the trailing behind humans thing. In their case at least we are far too large for an animal that lives on rabbits to kill and eat, so is it possible that we are scaring up game in our wakes that the lynxes (and jaguars?) can kill and eat? Or could they be literary and waiting for a man to show up with a giant salmon on his back? ... but no, lynxes were doing that long before Playboy was on the market.

[Lachlan09]

I’m not too well up on extinct Scottish wildlife. Were there lynxes and bears in Scotland ? How long ago ? I really haven’t a clue. I knew about wolves becoming extinct in the 17th Century and boars (a boar is the crest of the Campbells of Argyll of course). Ospreys were nearly extinct but got rescued from the brink. Introduction of species needs close monitoring of course, remember the Japanese deer introduced in the Highlands the 19th Century by some toff which then multiplied greatly and became a nuisance (in Knapdale etc, you’re far more likely to see numerous Jap Deer – which are cute it must be said – than one Roe or Red Deer), the introduced minks which escaped from their mink farms and threaten native wildlife and not forgetting the coypus introduced into East Anglia which escaped, bred alarmingly and ultimately became classified as vermin.

I do believe in re-introducing responsibly certain breeds which once inhabited Scotland but which don’t threaten domestic livestock, pets and humans. Potentially dangerous animals should not be introduced. In the end, this is the 21st Century and Scotland is not the same place as it was when dangerous hunting animals roamed the Caledonian Forest (now nearly extinct thanks to Mary Queen of Scots).

Having said that, I’m a fan of the Wild Cat, emblem of Clan Chattan, MacPherson, Mackintosh etc and us Gows as well. Just like a big tabby with attitude ! They hopefully still abound in Perthshire. My Dad once told me that way back in the late 1940’s – it may have been the bad winter of 1947, he went out to the woodshed at the back of his parents’ house, Alpine Cottage, in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, to get some logs for the fire. It was a cold night and snow was thick. As he went into the darkness of the shed, there was a sudden whoosh beside his head as something shot past over his shoulder. He turned round to see a Wild Cat bounding down the path, through the snow. Good job he got away – there was an old Wild Cat pelt draped over a chair in the house and he might have ended up the same way !

[Alan H]

As a comparison, Pennsylvania is 50% larger than Scotland and probably has about 2,000,000 deer or about four times the deer population density of Scotland. However, the State Government has never released its estimates, so the two million number may be a sheer guess. If we culled 75% of the deer in this state, there might still be too many. Bushes, once common in PA, are now rare and have been replaced by vines; (they were eaten by deer).

I have them eating seed out of my hanging feeder with the little round holes!

This is utterly ridiculous. OUT of control.

[ThistleDown]

Hey, what about me?!

Oh Mark that is so bad -- my sincere apologies. In one paragraph to wipe out such an important family. (Cowering in my corner I wait for McBain to smite me or, at the very least, to give me a withering glare.)

Seriously, the Macbeans may not have been descended of the prehistory Clanchattan -- as were the Macphersons, Davidsons, Macphails and others -- but they became in historic times a very important factor in the Central Highlands and their chiefs bear the wildcat as their crest.

As an aside, so do the Sutherland chiefs.

Rex

[Steve Ashton]

In my discussions with thistledown this last weekend I have his assurances that once he has full approval and funding that he will give me a call.

It is Rex's secret plan to re-introduce the wild crofter back into its natural habitat.

[Jock Scot]

In my discussions with thistledown this last weekend I have his assurances that once he has full approval and funding that he will give me a call.

It is Rex's secret plan to re-introduce the wild crofter back into its natural habitat.

OH good, more subsidies!


One of the few things that I remember from my time at agricultural college was the definition of a croft:" A parcel of land, surrounded by regulations." -----Never was a truer word spoken!

[ThistleDown]

OH good, more subsidies!


One of the few things that I remember from my time at agricultural college was the definition of a croft:" A parcel of land, surrounded by regulations." -----Never was a truer word spoken!

Yes, one of them being "no wild crofters allowed on a wild croft unless descended from wild crofters who lived on the wild croft". And if you can make it that far, Steve, don't give up your six other day and two evening jobs. You will need them all to be able to live on your croft.

Edit: I forgot the subsidy. You will need to make application for that before you move in; the normal wait-time for approval is 18.5 years, but that depends on your birthday and the breed of your dog. If you move in before approval has been given you are penalised with further wait of 15 minutes after the approving authority returns from his tea. And if your dog (or you) dies before approval....

Rex

[Jock Scot]

Yes, one of them being "no wild crofters allowed on a wild croft unless descended from wild crofters who lived on the wild croft". And if you can make it that far, Steve, don't give up your six other day and two evening jobs. You will need them all to be able to live on your croft.

Edit: I forgot the subsidy. You will need to make application for that before you move in; the normal wait-time for approval is 18.5 years, but that depends on your birthday and the breed of your dog. If you move in before approval has been given you are penalised with further wait of 15 minutes after the approving authority returns from his tea. And if your dog (or you) dies before approval....

Rex

Oh right, normal rules apply then. That's Ok, I know where I am with those!